Trimming mechanism of typographical composing and casting machines



Mar. 6, 1923. 1,447,714 TgDRAKE TRIMMING MECHANISM OF TYFOGI RAPHIGAL COMPOSINGAND CASTING MACHINES F V Filed-May 51, -19122 2 sheets-sheet 1- Mar, 6, 1923; 1,447,714 f T.DRAKE TRIMMING MECHANISM OF-TYROGRAPHICAL COMPOSING AND CASTING MACHINES 2 eats-sheet 2 May 51, 1922 Patented Mar. 6, 1923.

hdtmlt PATENT FFTQE,

TOM DRAKE, OF ALTRINCHANI, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO LINOTYPE AND MACHINERY LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, A LIMITED COMPANY OF GREAT BRITAIN.

TRIMMING MECHANISM OF TYPOGRAPHICAL COMPOSING AND- CASTING- MACHINES.

' Application filed May 31,

T all whom-it may concern I Be it known that I, TOM DRAKE, a subject of the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and residing at Linotype and Machinery Works, Altrinchain, in the county of Chester, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in or Relating to the Trimming Mechanism of Typographical Composing 0 and Casting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the trimming mechanism of typographical composing and casting machines and particularly to mechanism for trimming slugs cast with what are known as overhung or two-line letters.

In this class of mechanism as heretofore constructed, it is usual to lower the righthand or movable trimming knife to an ex- 2 tent correspondingwith the length of the mould slot and thereafter to raise such knife or allow it to ascend until it is stopped by an overhung letter, in which position it is locked during the subsequent forcing of the slug between the two trimming knives when effecting the actual trimming. In these hitherto-known arrangements, the lowering of the movable knife is usually effected by a cam on the cam shaft, which transmits motion through a system of levers in linked connection with such knife.

The presentinvention attains the foregoing results by meanswhich, compared with hitherto-known arrangements, is of much simpler and cheaper construction, eliminating as it does, all the before-mentioned cam and lever mechanism for operating the movable knife, and utilizing for the just-named purpose, the movement of the first elevator.

The invention will now be described by reference to the accompanying drawings which are illustrative of a preferred oonstructional form, and, in which Figure 1 is afront elevation and Figure 2 a right-hand side elevation of sufficient of a machine toshow the embodiment therein of the said invention, and i Figure 3' is a plan of a part of the improved device, drawn to a scale larger than that to which Figures 1 andv2 are drawn.

In the constructional form of the l11V11 tion shown in the drawings, which has been foundto give very satisfactory results, there is provided on the first elevator 1, a bolt or plunger 2, which is horizontally-slidable 1922. Serial No. 564,769.'

(rightward and leftward of the machine) in a bracket3 fast-to the said first elevator, and which plunger at its right-hand end, is pro vided with a head at whose right-hand face 5 is inclined as shown in Figure 1.

The head 4: is adapted to engage the front end of a bent lever 6 which is capable of turning upon a horizontal pivot 7 carried by a bracket 8 which may be conveniently fixed to the vise frame 9 in guides on which the first elevator 1 is vertically reciprocated.

The plunger head 1- is normally held in its rightmost position by a helical spring 10 encircling the plunger 2 and bearing at resper'ztively opposite ends against the bracket 3 and head at, this rightmost position being determined by the contact of a headed stud 11 fast to the plunger, engaging the closed right-hand end of a recess 12 in the bracket 3.

From the front end of the lever 6 there is suspended a weight 13 which has a constant tendency to raise the back end of said lever, this latter end being pivotally connected to the lower end of a bent link 14 whose upper end is pivoted by a screw 15 to the movable knife 16.

On the knife guide 17 within which the movable knife 16 is vertically reciprocated there is provided a horizontally-slidable stop pin 18 whose left-hand'end by a blade spring 19, is adapted to be projected into the path of the movable knife, as shown in Figure 3, to lock said knife in its lowest position. With this stop pin 18 there engages one arm 20 of a three-armed lever 20, 21, 22 which, for convenience, when hereinafter referred to as: a whole, is identified by the reference 20 alone. This lever 20, is pivoted to a bracket 23 fast to the back of the knife guide'l'i', and the second arm 21 thereof is provided with an adjustable set screw 2 1 adapted to be engaged by the mould wheel or carrier 25 during the advance of the latter, to effect the withdrawal of the stop pin 18 from the path of the movable knife 16, as will be best understood from Figure 3, for permitting the latter to ascend under the influence of the weight 13.

The just-mentioned ascent of the movable knife 16, is stopped in the ordinary wellknown manner, by or through the top of the said knife abutting against the then-under side of the two-line letter or the lower or lowest of them, if a plurality be present.

The third arm 22 of lever 20 is readily accessible to enable the latter to be operated by hand for withdrawing the stop pin from the path of the knife 16 whenever it may be necessary to release the said knife from its lowest position.

If desired, an adjustable pad or cheek 26 may, as shown in the drawings, be provided on the front end of the lever 6 to enable the extent or Zone of movement of the knife 16 to be adjusted and to compensate for wear between that lever and the head l of the sliding bolt or plunger 2. This capacity for adjustment may be provided by securing the check 26 to the lever 6 by means of 'a countersunk screw 27, and causing it to bear against a set screw 28 which is adjustable in said lever as will be readily understood by reference to particularly Figure 2.

The operation of the before described apparatus may be described as follows, it being assumed as a matter of convenience that said description commences at the stage at which the first elevator 1 is in its highest position at which juncture the plunger 2 is considerably above the lever (3 and the knife 16 is held in its highest position under the influence of the weight 13. During the next ensuing descent of the first elevator l,the inclined face 5 of the plunger head 4, contacts with the lever 6, and causes the said plunger to move leftward in its bracket 8, antagonistically to the spring 10. Immediately after the plunger head 4: has passed out of contact with the lever 6, the spring 10 forces this head into position ready to engage the said lever (for lowering the movable'knife 16) during the next following ascent of the first elevator after the casting of the line, this engagement ceasing when the front end of the lever 6. has been tilted out of the path ofthe plunger head 4, and the movable knife 16 has consequently been brought to its lowest position in which it is forthe time being retained by the stop pin 18. As the mould wheel 25 (which in the meantime has: been turned to present the mould in the ejecting position) next advances for the ejecting operation, it contacts with the setsci"ew 2-i and, as previously described, effects the withdrawal of the stop pin 18 from the path of the movable knife 16 which thereupon ascends under the influence of the weight 13 until it is stopped by the two-lineletterof the slug then in the mould. lVhen the machine is employed in castng slugs on which there are no overhang ing or two-line letters, the plunger 2 is .manually moved to its leftmost position by means of the stud 11 and locked in that position by moving said stud angular-1y about theaxis of the plunger so that when that stud is released it will bear against the lefthand end of the bracket 3. y

Having described by invention, I declare that what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is t 1 1. In a typographical composing-andcasting machine such as described, the combination with the first elevator and an adjustable trimming knife, of means operatively connecting the latter with the former so that vertical movement of the first elevator will impart vertical movement to the adjustable trimming knife.

2. In a typographical composing and casting machine such as described, the combination with the first elevator and an adjustable trimming knife, of means operatively connecting the latter with the former so that upward movement of the first elevator will impart downward movement to the adjustable trimmin knife.

3. In a typographical composing and casting machine such as described, the combination with the first elevator and an adjustable trimming knife, of means operatively connecting the latter with the 'ormer so that vertical movement of the first elevator will impart vertical movement to the adjustable trimming knife, and a weight operatively connected to the means, adapted to exert its influence antagonistically to said means. j

4:. In a typographical composing and casting machine, the combination with the first elevator, and an adjustable knife, of a lever in linked connection with the said knife, and a plun er yieldingly carried on the first elevator, adhpted during both its ascent and descent to engage the lever and to operate said lever'during its movement in one direction only. i

5. In a typographical composing and casting machine, the combination with the first elevator, and an adjustable knife, ofa lever in linked connection with the said knife, and a, plunger yieldingly carried on the first elevator, adapted during both its as cent and descent to engage the lever and to operate said lever during only its ascent.

6. In a typographical composing and casting machine, the combination with thefirst elevator, and an adjustable knife, of a lever in linked connection with the said knife, a plunger yieldingly carried on the first elevator, adapted during both its ascent and descent to engage the lever and to operate one direction only, and a stud fast to the plunger adapted to limit the movement of said plunger in one direction and alternatively to lock it in inoperative position.

8 In a typographical composing and casting machine, the combination with the first elevator, and an adjustable knife,,of a lever in linked connection with the said knife, a plunger movably carried on the first elevator, a head on the plunger adapted during both its ascent and descent to engage the lever and having an inclined face, a spring tending to hold said head constantly in position to engage the lever, but yielding under pressure exerted by contact of the inclined face with the lever.

9, In a typographical composing and casting machine, the combination with the first elevator, a movable mould carrier and an adjustable knife, of a lever in linked connection with the said knife, a linkestablishing said connection, a plunger movably car ried on the first elevator, adapted to engage the lever to lower the knife, means independent of the plunger operative to raise the knife, a spring-pressed stop pin adapted to retain the knife in its lowered position, and means in the path of the mould carrier operative to actuate the stop pin to effect release of the adjustable knife.

10. In a typographical composing and casting machine, the combination with the first elevator, a movable mould carrier and an adjustable knife, of. a lever in linked connection with the said knife, a link establishing said connection, a plunger movably carried on the first elevator, adapted to on gage the lever to lower the knife, means independent of the plunger operative to raise the knife, a spring-pressed stop pin adapted to retain the knife in its lowered position, and a lever pivotally mounted on the guide in which the adjustable knife is guided, to withdraw the stop pin from the path of the adjustable knife, and of which lever one arm is in the path of and adapted to be moved by the mould carrier, and the said guide.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature hereto.

TOM DRAKE. 

